1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image-acquisition devices for microscopes and to microscope observation methods.
2. Description of Related Art
Monitoring cameras that switch between color and monochrome imaging modes for daytime and nighttime are known (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2002-135788).
Such a monitoring camera operates in the color imaging mode in daytime by inserting an infrared (IR) filter to block infrared light, and operates in the monochrome imaging mode at nighttime by removing the IR filter, so as to perform image acquisition while placing high priority on sensitivity.
However, if a single object is to be observed with a microscope under different image-acquisition conditions, the appropriate exposure condition differs for different observation conditions. For this reason, the technology discussed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, Publication No. 2002-135788 that simply inserts or removes the IR filter is not applicable to microscope observation.